Trail Transporter
            I love a good tree tunnel, no matter the type of trees. I also love mountain views and ocean views. Here in the Bay Area, it’s remarkable how many hikes offer all three in a few minutes of walking on the same trail.
            Sometimes a hike will transport me to another place, even locations I’ve never actually been to. Fans of director Werner Herzog may remember the haunting, misty scenes of the mountains of Peru in Aguirre, the Wrath of God. There was something entrancing about the way tendrils of mist wove through the cracks of the mountains in a gray, mystical haze.
            The first time I hiked the Brooks Creek Trail after breaking off the Montara Mountain Trail in Pacifica—on a gray, overcast day—I felt like I was walking in the mountains of Peru as shown in that Herzog film. It was the tendrils of fog accenting the lines between peaks that moved me. Next time I hiked there, the mystical mist was there again, bringing the same feeling.
            I recently hiked that trail after not being there for three or four years. Sure enough, at a particular turn of the trail facing a certain angle of the mountains, I felt as if I’d been transported again. White clouds melted down with the same effect even on a blue sky day.
            Have you been to a place near home that makes you feel like you’re somewhere far away? We don’t need a sci-fi transporter machine to be carried somewhere else. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, San Pedro Valley Montara Mountain-Brooks Creek Loop, leads readers on a climb through eucalyptus, manzanita and coyote brush, with a combination of ocean and mountain views.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
 
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 127: San Pedro Valley Montara Mountain-Brooks Creek Loop
 

Misty Mountain Lakes
            My childhood summers meant camping trips in the Adirondacks. Dad would pack up our tent trailer, hook it up to the station wagon, and our family of six would pile into the car and drive an hour north to the Fulton Chain of Lakes and set up camp.
            I walked with my brothers to the edge of Seventh Lake and looked for the eagle’s nest in the iconic tree across the lake. Mist formed over the lake in the evening. A loon cried from the middle of the lake, the perfect welcoming call.
            In the morning, we walked back to the lake’s edge, tendrils of mist weaving through the tree line before the sun burned it away.
            Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I am surrounded by stunning nature views at every turn, but I sometimes find myself yearning for that Adirondack scenery. 
            It’s when I’m hiking in the Mt. Tam Watershed in Marin County that I feel transported back to those misty mountain lake days. The lake and trees reflect a deep greenish blue, and white mist flows over and through the treetops.
            Do you have a favorite place that reminds you of beloved old stomping grounds? May we all tap into that comforting feeling of old favorite places. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Kent Lake from Shafter Bridge, take readers to one of the lovely lakes of the Marin Watershed that remind me of the Adirondacks where I grew up.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
 
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 112: Kent Lake from Shafter Bridge

Big Nature, Small Space
            Yellow and purple lupin line a path through coyote brush-dotted sandy terrain. Cypress trees rise like sculptures. White puffy clouds float high in a vibrant blue sky.
            Walking along, the gently curving boardwalk is one of the only visual hints that this is not a wilderness site. It’s easy to overlook the houses in the background beyond the furthest trees.
            And yet, this is right in the city of San Francisco. The Presidio features many lovely nature areas, even within a relatively small space.
            We don’t have to travel far for a nature walk. When you don’t have the time, energy or means to get to a special nature site, enjoy a nearby park or garden. If you can’t get outside, look out the window or door at the sky and listen for birds. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Lobos Valley Boardwalk Stroll, describes an easy short walk right within San Francisco that features scenery that makes us feel far from the city.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
 
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 53: Lobos Valley Boardwalk Stroll

Redwood Moment
            Deep brown with a reddish tinge and a unique texture, sometimes touched by the diaphanous paintbrush of spiderwebs, the bark of a redwood tree is easily identifiable once you come to know it. Then there is the rich, earthy smell of a redwood forest, forest floor moister than the many dry areas of California. The tall trees provide so much shade that moss and ferns thrive around them year-round.
            Something about being with redwood trees makes me feel calm. Is it because they are so big, so old, so steady? Whatever the reason, they bring a sense of tranquility.
            Living in the San Francisco Bay Area with its combination of cultural activities mixed with stunning nature in all directions, we have a lot of visitors from friends and family from around the world.
            When visitors visit for the first time, I ask what the top items on their visit list are. Almost everyone asks to see redwood trees. After decades of living here I almost take easy access to redwood trees for granted. 
            Muir Woods is on the checklist for many, but parking restrictions mean we can’t just visit on a whim anymore. Though parking spaces are restricted, hiking trails into Muir Woods aren’t, so with guests who are willing, we take a steep hike down into the woods from the mountain ridge above.
            There are many places other than Muir Woods to see redwoods, even groves within the city of San Francisco itself. Spending even a short time among these grand trees can make the world slow down a little.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Old Mill Park Stroll, introduces readers to a park in Mill Valley in Marin County that does not require a strenuous hike to enjoy a quiet moment among the redwoods.
            Find your treasured quiet places, and keep putting one foot forward!
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
 
New this week:
Hike Notes 221: Old Mill Park Stroll